oly mother! I have a mind to ride straight back
to Havant, to show them how stout a man-at-arms hath been reared amongst
them.'

'It is steel of proof,' Sir Jacob remarked; 'a pistol-bullet might
glance from it. And you,' he continued, turning to me, 'here is a small
gift by which you shall remember this meeting. I did observe that you
did cast a wistful eye upon my bookshelf. It is Plutarch's lives of the
ancient worthies, done into English by the ingenious Mr. Latimer. Carry
this volume with you, and shape your life after the example of the giant
men whose deeds are here set forth. In your saddle-bag I place a small
but weighty packet, which I desire you to hand over to Monmouth upon
the day of your arrival in his camp. As to you, sir,' addressing Decimus
Saxon, 'here is a slug of virgin gold for you, which may fashion into a
pin or such like ornament. You may wear it with a quiet conscience, for
it is fairly given to you and not filched from your entertainer whilst
he slept.'

Saxon and I shot a sharp glance of surprise at each other at this
speech, which showed that our words of the night before were not unknown
to him. Sir Jacob, however, showed no signs of anger, but proceeded to
point out our road and to advise us as to our journey.

'You must follow this sheep-track until you come on another and broader
pathway which makes for the West,' said he. 'It is little used, and
there is small chance of your falling in with any of your enemies upon
it. This path will lead you between the villages of Fovant and Hindon,
and soon to Mere, which is no great distance from Bruton, upon the
Somersetshire border.'

Thanking our venerable host for his great kindness towards us we gave
rein to our horses, and left him once more to the strange solitary
existence in which we had found him. So artfully had the site of
his cottage been chosen, that when we looked back to give him a last
greeting both he and his dwelling had disappeared already from our view,
nor could we, among the many mounds and hollows, determine where the
cottage lay which had given us such welcome shelter. In front of us and
on either side the great uneven dun-coloured plain stretched away to the
horizon, without a break in its barren gorse-covered surface. Over the
whole expanse there was no sign of life, save for an occasional rabbit
which whisked into its burrow on hearing our approach, or a few thin and
hungry sheep, who could scarce sustain life by feedi